“I’m a grad student,” Amy lied. “I’m getting my Master’s in English literature.”
“Your Master’s?” He lifted his eyebrows.
She felt herself flushing for some reason. “It’s an advanced degree one gets after college,” she explained, unsure if Vair was messing with her or if he was genuinely unfamiliar with the term. “One step above a Bachelor’s degree.”
“Ah, okay.” His eyes glittered as he shifted his grip on her, his hands moving lower to rest on her hips. “One step above a bachelor. I get it.”
Vair was messing with her. “Yes, that’s right,” she said smoothly, trying to ignore the fact that his large palms were essentially on her ass. “What kind of degrees do you guys have? Do you have college and such?”
He shook his head. “No, we don’t. We learn throughout our lives.”
“But how do you train for work?” Amy persisted. “Surely you’re not born knowing how to do everything. And what about math, science, history? How do you learn all that?”
“You are a curious little creature.” He regarded her with a strange half-smile. “You want to know everything about us, don’t you?”
“Of course.” Amy gave him a bright smile. “Who wouldn’t?”
“Most humans who come here,” he murmured, looking at her. “Nearly all of them, in fact. They’re interested in only one thing—and that thing has nothing to do with our educational system.”
“I guess I’m an exception then,” Amy said, her heart jumping at the odd intensity in his gaze. Was it possible he suspected her for some reason? “I’ve always loved learning about other cultures—the more exotic, the better.”
He laughed softly and stopped, letting her go. Before Amy could breathe a sigh of relief, she saw that they were standing in front of one of the bars. Somehow Vair had maneuvered them there without her noticing.
“A drink?” he asked, reaching for a glass filled with a purple liquid.
Amy hesitated. “What is it? Wine?”
“No, just a special type of fruit juice mixed with mild alcohol. It’s safe for human consumption.”
She considered that for a moment, then accepted the drink from him, trying not to react when she felt his fingers brushing against her own. She couldn’t control a slight hitch in her breathing, though, and she saw the corners of his lips lift in a knowing smile.
Vair could sense the impact he had on her, and he was obviously enjoying it.
Seeking to hide her discomfort, Amy lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. Her taste buds exploded at the sweet, yet zesty flavor. She could feel the bite of the alcohol, but it was too subtle to detract from the unusual taste of the juice. “What fruit is this made from?” she asked, and Vair grinned at her, sipping his own drink.
“You wouldn’t recognize the name if I told you. It’s a plant we brought from Krina.”
“Oh, wow.” Amy tried the drink again, trying to memorize the complex flavor so she could describe it in her article later. It made her mouth tingle and her throat feel warm, though that could’ve been from the alcohol. A part of her wondered if she should’ve been more careful about trying an exotic drink—or drinking with Vair in general—but she could see other humans in the club holding similar glasses, and it would’ve been suspicious if she’d refused to so much as take a sip.
Especially given her act as a party-goer interested in all things Krinar.
Casting a quick glance around the room, she spotted Jay dancing on the other side. This time, in addition to the K Barbie—Shira—there was a male Krinar there. The three of them were grinding against each other, and the expression on Jay’s face left Amy no doubt that her friend was in seventh heaven, his earlier worries gone.
“Are you involved with him?” Vair stepped in front of her, blocking her line of vision. His tone was casual, but there was an odd expression on his face. “With that pretty boy human?”
Amy blinked. “With Jay? No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “We just never connected on that level, I guess.”
She met Jay during their internship at the newspaper, and got to know him better when they both ended up working there full-time after college. For some reason, Jay—who did his best to have sex with anything that moved—had never tried to hook up with her, and as time passed, Amy found herself soliciting his advice on everything from vacation destinations to boyfriend troubles. In return, she lent a sympathetic ear whenever he needed to gripe about his overachieving family and offered him a woman’s perspective on clinging one-night stands. Over time, they became surprisingly close friends—and all without the attraction that typically accompanied such male-female relationships.
“That’s good,” Vair murmured, setting his empty glass down on a nearby table. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Amy, who was finishing her own drink, nearly choked on the sweet liquid. There was something almost possessive in the way Vair was looking at her. His stare spoke of heated male intent, and something more.
Something that disturbed her greatly.